Magnificent Macau

A former Portugeuse province, Macau is a curious blend of East meets West. Walking through the cobblestone streets of its old town, visitors will come across Baroque-style Roman Catholic churches as well as ancient Chinese temples.

Portugal handed over Macau’s sovereignty to China in 1999. Now a Special Administrative region, Macau follows a “one country, two systems” model like its neighbour Hong Kong. In recent years, Macau has been rapidly transforming into a modern metropolis with billions being spent on new infrastructure.

A new landmark development is the Hong Kong- Zhuhai - Macau bridge, which will link the west side of Hong Kong to the Guangdong province city of Zhuhai, which is located on the west side of the Pearl River Delta. Due for completion between 2015 - 2016, it will be instrumental in reducing travelling time between the two areas. Macau is also embarking on five land reclamation projects that are expected to increase its land capacity by one-fifth, enabling 130,000 more people to reside there.

Macau’s MICE sector has been experiencing solid growth. In this first quarter of 2011, Macau welcomed 127,194 MICE visitors, a 42% increase over the same quarter in the previous year, according to Data from the Macau Statistics and Census Service.

Cotai Strip heating up

Visitors to the Cotai Strip on Macau’s Taipa island, will quickly realise that the area is ripe with development, with many new land parcels being transformed into resorts and casinos. Due to open in Spring 2012, the Sands Cotai Central is the one of the newest additions to the Strip. It is located close to other large resorts like The Venetian Macau, City of Dreams, and Wynn Resorts.

Sands Cotai Central will feature three hotels- the Conrad, Sheraton and Holiday Inn. This will amount to 5,800 luxury and mid-scale hotel rooms. It also aspires to be world-class venue for meetings and events, featuring about 9,300sqm of convention space.

No MICE trip is complete without a spot of shopping. The Shoppes Cotai Central will offer nearly 100 boutiques and galleries. It will also feature an abundance of natural light and cascading waterfalls to create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience.

A galaxy of luxuries

Another new kid on the block at the Cotai Strip is the Galaxy Macau, which officially opened its doors on May 15 this year. The integrated destination resort features three hotels- Banyan Tree Macau, Hotel Okura Macau and Galaxy Hotel. Together, they offer a total of 2,200 five-star rooms, suites and villas.

A highlight of the property is the Grand Pool Deck which features a man-made white sand beach that leads to a 4,000sqm skytop wave pool. In addition, there are several other pools, private cabanas and gardens in the area that are suitable for corporate gatherings. Galaxy Macau also offers a number of possibilities for meetings and events. It has meeting rooms and ballrooms of various sizes ranging from 80 to 1,330 sqm.

What’s an incentive trip without great food? Guests at Galaxy Macau can choose from more than 50 international food and beverage outlets. True to its focus on providing an authentic Asian resort experience, more than half of them serve Asian cuisines.

Movie buffs will be pleased to hear that Galaxy Macau will open its 9-screen, 3D, multi-function cinema theatre on December 15 this year.

A night of grandeur and excess

A grand gala evening is a great way for employees to dress to the nines and indulge in some fine food and drinks. Add in a memorable theme, and you have a night to remember.

Event organisers looking for something unique might want to consider the Grand Hyatt Macau’s latest offering. The ‘Opulence Ball’ is a Belle Epoque themed gala evening choreographed for corporate dinners and other special events. The hotel’s 1,911 sqm Grand Ballroom is transformed into a vintage party palace especially for the occasion. A collection of 8-metre-high paintings of dancing couples adorn the ballroom and pre-function lounge, setting the tone for the evening.

The ball kicks off with a champagne cocktail party. The doors to the ballroom are then swung open, revealing a dazzling party scene to the accompaniment of Beethoven’s Symphony No.5. A gourmet four-course dinner is then served by butlers in tuxedos.

Event organisers can choose from inspiring vocalists, steamy ballroom dancing couples and a full orchestra playing a selection of classical, jazz, swing, tango, waltz and rumba beats.